《音乐启蒙书》：贝多芬遗嘱真伪之秘(英汉对照)- 牛仔作家李波 - 新浪BLOG

《音乐启蒙书》：贝多芬遗嘱真伪之秘(英汉对照)
2007-04-25　19:02:15
大中小
标签：音乐启蒙书、古典音乐、音乐家、贝多芬、学英语、英汉对照、图书、美语、李波
10月6日
贝多芬遗嘱真伪之秘
——摘自《音乐启蒙书：音乐中的希望和力量》
（中央编译出版社07年4月版，<美>诺曼.格里兰著、李波译）
路德维格·冯·贝多芬Ludwig van Beethoven（1770～1827）伟大的德国音乐家。主要作品：交响曲《英雄》、《命运》，序曲《埃格蒙特》，钢琴奏鸣曲《悲怆》、《月光》、《暴风雨》、《热情》等等。
在1802年10月6日，贝多芬写下了音乐史上最有感染力、最神秘莫测的一封信，这就是所谓“海利根施塔特遗嘱”。这封信的动机都让人迷惑。信是写给“我的兄弟们”，信中却只提到了贝多芬的哥哥卡尔，他弟弟约翰的名字却被忽略或者去掉了。贝多芬写道：
从儿时起，我的心肠和精神都促使我成为一个善良而柔弱的人。我一直想有所作为，但是想到在过去的六年中，我疾病缠身，一个愚蠢的医生让我的情况变得越来越糟。他一年又一年地蒙骗我，我的病会好起来的，结果却不得不面临悲哀的前景：我的病不会很快好起来的，甚至是不治之症。我秉性热情活泼，对社会的纷扰尤其敏感，所以我不得不从这个世界上隐退，过一种隐居生活。
我常常想忘记这些，但是加重的耳疾又把我拖回到了残酷的现实当中。我很难说出“你讲话大声点，喊出来，我是个聋子”这样的话，我怎么能够承认我听力上的缺陷呢？我的听觉理应比其他人敏锐——而这敏锐的听力在我辉煌时曾经拥有过。那种辉煌很少有人享受，或者有人拥有过。但是现在，我享受不到了。所以，当我想和大家愉快地相处时，如果你看到我激流勇退，请宽恕我。
当我身旁的人能够听到远处传来的长笛声、或者牧羊人的歌声，而我却什么都听不到，这对我来说是莫大的羞辱。这种情况会让我崩溃的；有时我甚至想到结果自己的生命，仅仅是艺术使命感让我住手。看来，我只有将我能够感受到的音乐完全奉献出来，我才能离开这个世界。
【注释】Heiligenstadt海利根施塔特（奥地利城市，靠近维也纳。）testament 遗嘱omit 省略 prompt somebody to do sth 促使某人做某事tender 柔弱的wretched 糟糕的unintelligent 愚蠢的 deceive 欺骗 prospect 前景 infamy 耻辱 fiery 热情的 temperament 性格 susceptible to 敏感的 diversion 转换，分散注意力的东西 retire 隐退 solitary 隐居的 at times 时常withdraw 撤退 humiliatin 耻辱的 shepherd 牧羊人
October 6th
Beethoven’s Testament
On October 6th, 1802 Beethoven wrote one of the most powerful and mysterious letters in all of music history—his so-called Heiligenstadt Testament. Even the intended destination is puzzling, the letter being addressed "to my brothers," yet only Beethoven‘s brother Carl is mentioned by name, the name of his brother Johann having been omitted or removed. Beethoven wrote:
From childhood onward my heart and mind prompted me to be kind and tender, and I was always inclined to accomplish great deeds. But consider that in the last six years I have been in a wretched condition, made worse by unintelligent physicians deceived from year to year with hopes of improvement and then finally forced to the prospect of lasting infamy that may go on for years or even be totally incurable. Born with a fiery, active temperament, and susceptible to the diversions of society, I had to retire from this world to live a solitary life.
At times even I tried to forget all this, but how harshly I was driven back by the redoubled experience of my bad hearing. Yet it is impossible for me to say, “Speak louder, shout, for I am deaf!”  How could I declare the weakness of a sense which in me ought to be more acute than in others—a sense which formerly I possessed in highest perfection, a perfection such as few in my profession enjoy or ever have enjoyed; no I cannot do it. Forgive, therefore, if you see me withdraw, when I would gladly mix with you.
How humiliating it was when someone standing close to me heard a distant flute and I heard nothing, or a shepherd singing and again I heard nothing. Such incidents almost drove me to despair; at times I was on the point of putting an end to my life. Art alone restrained my hand. It seemed I could not quit this earth until I had produced all I felt within me...
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关于《音乐启蒙书：音乐中的希望和力量》
《音乐启蒙书：音乐中的希望和力量》译者序（汉语版）
《音乐启蒙书：音乐中的希望和力量》译者序（英语版）
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